Shi Hu

Shi Hu (295-349) was Emperor of Later Zhao from 334 to 349, succeeding Shi Hong and preceding Shi Shi. Shi Hu was from the Jie tribe, and he seized power from his relative Shi Hong after proving himself as a general of Later Zhao's founder Shi Le. He was a tyrannical ruler, imposing heavy tax and labor burdens, building palaces for himself, collecting concubines, and killing his own family members.

Biography
Shi Hu was the son of a cousin of Shi Le's father, and the two of them were members of the Jie tribe. Shi Hu grew up in his kinsman's army, and he would become a general during the chaos of the Sixteen Kingdoms in 4th century China. In 313, he defeated Eastern Jin general Liu Kun, and he was made governor of Wei Commandery at Yecheng, taking up residence in the three towers that Cao Cao had built. Shi Hu fought the Jin repeatedly, winning almost every battle that he fought. As his fame grew, his ambition grew, and he sought to become his kinsman's crown prince. When his kinsman died in 334, Shi Hu launched a coup and killed his son Shi Hong and several court officials, seizing power for himself.

"Emperor Wu of Later Zhao" used the title of "Heavenly Prince", imposing heavy tax and labor burdens, and he spent most of his reign building palaces and attending to concubines. He also executed two of his crown princes for defying him, applying his harsh laws in the most extreme of ways. As he neared death in the 340s, he made the very young Shi Shi his crown prince, leading to guard captain Liang Du rising up against Shi Hu. However, Qiang chief Yao Yizhong crushed the uprising, and he recommended that Shi Hu make an adult his heir. Shi Hu did not, and Later Zhao would crumble in the years after his death due to conflicts between the regents and kings that followed.